Making It Home

Three weeks away from closing.  I can not wait to move into the house!

It’s Halloween weekend and we do not have any plans!  But that was on purpose – we have been very busy buying a house and getting engaged!  🙂  Instead of costumes and parties, we read up on water-proofing basements, wedding venues, and playing in Home Depot.

I think we will be great homeowners – we’re already going a good job fixing up Dave’s current house!

And I am even becoming a little more domestic… check out these cookies!  Dave even liked them!

For the new house – first, we are going back to the seller with a list of repairs that it needs before closing.  Hopefully, the seller returns to us with a monetary offering.  Or even better, a shot at his furniture.  We keep asking Maria to ask about a house sale, but he has yet to get back to us.  We need furniture!  And he has a lot of nice pieces that we would love to have.

Second, this past Friday we had a water-proofing inspector come estimate the repairs needed in the basement and garage of the house.  Luckily, the inspector reported that it seems the water problems are taken care of with the three sump pumps that were installed.  He seemed very knowledgeable in both water-proofing basements but also general contracting work.  The recommendations he gave us include:

– new sump pumps with battery back-ups and covers

– dehumidifier to keep the moisture level below 50% (it prevents mold and mildew from growing)

– keep those driveway drains free and clear of leaves

– NO LATEX paint – breeding ground for mold.  Who knew!?

The inspector was from a company called Quality 1st Basements.  So he is there primarily to sell his products, but he did not push the products at all.  He gave us very usable recommendations.  And a book that teaches you how to keep your basement free of water.  If (and when) we do need to put in new pumps, I definitely will use them.  Seem to be decent products!

Third, Dave’s condo is finally listed and ready to be sold.  Now hopefully we can find a buyer.  It’s going to be tough in this market.  Recently, the real estate market was in the news because the government is trying to shed light on poor foreclosure processes in the banks.  Apparently, there are a lot of houses that should be going into foreclosure and put on the market, but because of slow and inaccurate paperwork, the inventory is just building up and the owners are allowed to stay in their homes.  If all of these houses hit the market at once, there should be another downturn in prices.  Makes me a little nervous about getting this house.  Hopefully, Dave’s home is sold before any real downturn.  The holidays will also make it a little tougher!

Finally, I have officially started wedding planning with a tentative list of guests and list of venues.  I am hoping to set a date for very early October.  It would be cool to have the wedding on Oct 9th, Nanny’s wedding anniversary.  We went to see her today, with Mommy and Daddy who brought pizza, and we all had a great time!  We had some good laughs and good conversation about the upcoming wedding and house.  Her and Aunt Phil also both love the ring.  🙂